Mahayana Buddhists believe Kasyapa Buddha preceded the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Kasyapa Buddha was the third of the 1,000 Buddhas of this Fortunate Aeon who, it is predicted will teach the path of peace to humanity.
"Not to commit any evil actions
To accumulate a wealth of excellent virtue
And to subdue one's own mind -
This is the teaching of the Buddha."
- Kasyapa Buddha
Relic and Source
- The large tooth relic was originally enshrined in a statue of Gyalwa Ensapa in a monastery in Tibet. This tooth formed part of the body of Kasyapa Buddha. The statue was destroyed during Communist China's invasion of Tibet but a Tibetan family secretly salvaged the tooth relic. A Tibetan monk of the Sakya tradition then purchased it and the relic was split into three parts; one part was offered to His Holiness Sakya Trizin, another to His Holiness Chobgye Trichen and the third part was offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. His Holiness Chobgye Trichen placed the relic offered to him inside the crown of a 3-storey Maitreya Buddha statue in a monastery beside the Great Stupa in Boudhanath, Nepal.
- The small tooth relic came from Tibet and was offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 2002.
- The middle-sized relic came from the Tibetan Government Relic House. His Holiness the Dalai Lama's physician, Wangyel, offered it to Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1999.
- The remaining three smaller relics appear to have spontaneously manifested during the Heart Shrine Relic Tour. This is considered to be a very auspicious sign.
Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha
Shakyamuni Buddha was born to Queen Mahamaya and King Shudhodana of Kapilavastu in approximately 563 BCE at Lumbini, which is on the modern border between India and Nepal. Before he became enlightened he was known as Prince Siddharta.
Prince Siddharta led the privileged life of royalty. He married Yosodhara and had a son. When he was 29 years old the Prince was travelling outside the palace when he saw the "Four Sights" - these were a sick man, an old man, a corpse and a monk. The prince had previously known only the extreme luxury of palace life and was shocked by what he now saw. He felt compelled to find a way out of the sufferings of life and death. From that moment he renounced his royal life, left his wife and child, and set out to find spiritual teachers.
For six years he engaged in very austere practices, but eventually he realised that such practices were not the true path of escape from suffering. He walked to Bodhgaya, took a small, nourishing
meal, and with an attitude of discipline and great loving-kindness he sat down beneath a tree vowing not to rise again until he had achieved enlightenment. In the morning, a Buddha arose.
Turning the Wheel of Dharma
The Buddha did not begin to teach immediately after his enlightenment. Upon request, he gave his first teaching seven weeks later. This became known as the 'First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma'. The teaching was about the Four Noble Truths: all life is suffering, the suffering has a cause, the suffering can end and the true path to end suffering.
One of the Buddha's great skills was his ability to give teachings according to the capacity of those listening to him. This resulted in a wide variety and number of teachings called sutras. There are said to be 84,000 categories of the Buddha's teachings.
At Vultures Peak, Buddha 'turned the wheel of Dharma' a second time by teaching about the true nature of reality - the emptiness of all phenomena. These teachings are known as the Perfection of Wisdom sutras.
The Buddha turned the Wheel of Dharma a third time at Vaishali and continued to travel and teach for many years.
Buddha's Final Teaching
At the age of 80, in Kushinagar, India, the Buddha gave his final teaching. He taught the importance of meditating on impermanence. He said, "All conditioned phenomena are impermanent; subject to decay and disintegration. Work out your own salvations with diligence. This is the last teaching of the Tathagata (Buddha)." He then passed into progressively higher states of meditation into Nirvana (enlightenment).
Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Vaishali and Kushinagar are still foremost among the places of holy pilgrimage for millions of Buddhists today.
Relic and Source
- Buddha Shakyamuni's blood relics - These relics came from Meiktila Relic Museum in Burma and were offered by the abbot who manages the museum.
- Buddha Shakyamuni's head relics - These relics were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen Yuen, during a long life puja (prayer ceremony) for Rinpoche held in Taipei, Taiwan on 18th March 2001.
- The small granular relics came from a Thai monk who brought them to Malaysia. They were then given to a layperson whose practice was to make many offerings to
the Sangha (ordained monks and nuns). - The white, flake-like relics came from Meiktila Relic Museum in Burma.
- The one large and three smaller relics came from a senior monk in Borobudur, Indonesia where there is a great Buddhist monument. Upon Lama Zopa Rinpoche's request he offered these relics, which had been in his possession for many, many years, for placing in the Heart Shrine of the Maitreya Buddha statue.
- The four identical relics were offered by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama for the purpose of enshrining them at the heart of the Maitreya Buddha statue.
- The very white relics were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen Yuen.
Relic of Shakyamuni from
Meiktila Relic Museum in Burma
Buddha Shakyamuni's head relics
Shakyamuni relics offered by
His Holiness the XIV th Dalai Lama
Buddha Shakyamuni's relics
Buddha Shakyamuni's relics
Buddha Shakyamuni's
blood relics
Shakyamuni relics offered
by a senior monk in
Borobudur, Indonesia
Shakyamuni Buddha's Heart Disciples
Relic of ShariputraAfter Buddha gave his first teaching he went to Rajagriha and accepted Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, among others, as his disciples. Both Maudgalyayana and Sariputra were born near Rajgir. Maudgalyayana was well-known for his great powers of clairvoyance. Sariputra is remembered as the disciple who asked the most questions about the nature of reality, thus inspiring the Buddha's Perfection of Wisdom discourses.
Ananda was the Buddha's cousin and served as his personal attendant for 25 years. One day when Ananda was passing a well near a village, he asked Pakati, a young outcaste woman, for water. Pakati replied, "O monk, I am too humbly born to give you water to drink. Do not ask for my service lest your holiness be contaminated, for I am of low caste." Ananda said, "I ask not for caste but for water."
Pakati's heart leapt with joy and she offered water to Ananda. Having heard that Ananda was a disciple of the Buddha, the woman beseeched the Buddha, "O Lord, help me and let me live in the place where your disciple Ananda dwells so that I may see him and serve him, for I love Ananda." Buddha understood her heart and said, "Pakati, your heart is full of love, but you do not understand your own sentiments. It is not Ananda that you love, but his kindness. Accept the kindness that you have seen him practice toward you and practice it toward others".
Relic and Source
- The relics of the historical Buddha's heart disciples, Maudgalyayana, Sariputra and Ananda, were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen Yuen, during a long life puja (prayer ceremony) for Rinpoche held in Taipei, Taiwan on 18th March 2001.
Relic of Maudgalyayana / Relic of Ananda
Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna was an Indian Pandit who realised that very few people understand the true nature of reality as taught in the Buddha's
Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. He knew that if this is not understood there is no way to attain enlightenment and thereby,
freedom from suffering. Nagarjuna demonstrated that although even the smallest imaginable part of an atom does not exist
unconditionally (ultimate truth), cause and effect is incontrovertible (conventional truth), therefore, ultimate truth and conventional
truth co-exist.
Relic and Source
- These beautiful, pearl-like relics came from Tibet. They were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen
Yuen, during a long life puja (prayer ceremony) for Rinpoche held in Taipei, Taiwan on 18th March 2001.
Bodhisattva Chophak
This great master was known for his steadfast guru devotion. According to the Sutra of this Fortunate Aeon, Bodhisattva Chophak attained such realisations that he could actually see the Buddhas, yet he continued to search for his own guru. His name means "to cry often", which he did because he longed to receive the teachings he needed to progress further on the spiritual path.
When he eventually found his guru who was inside a temple, Bodhisattva Chophak did not immediately enter the temple but first swept and cleaned outside the temple out of respect for his guru.
Relic and Source
- This tooth relic came from Dhikhlo Monastery in Tibet and was offered by Thogne Zey.
Yeshe Tsogyel
Yeshe Tsogyel was a Tibetan Princess who lived during the 9th century and became a yogini (female meditation master). Yeshe means "primordial wisdom" and Tsogyel means "queen of the ocean-like quality of the mind".
Guru Padmasambhava was the founder of Buddhism in Tibet and is the source of the Terma tradition of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Yeshe Tsogyel was Padmasambhava's tantric consort. She transcribed Padmasambhava's many esoteric teachings onto paper scrolls and concealed them in different places. These hidden Dharma treasures, destined for rediscovery at the correct time, are known as terma.
These relics are fragments of two letters written by Yeshe Tsogyel to Padmasambhava.
Relic and Source
- The letters are written in Tibetan script. One is written on paper and the smaller one is written on banana leaf. They came from Tibet.
The paper letter contains a teaching about mudra (hand positions used in meditation). It states that a mudra have the power to communicate (non-verbally) how one can achieve the body, speech and mind of the Buddha. On the reverse side of the letter it speaks about the eight types of mental afflictions and refers to the deity, Vishnu.
From the tiny fragments of the script written on banana leaf three words can be deciphered - "awareness", "investigation" and "transcend."
Lama Atisha
Lama Atisha (982 to 1054 CE) was born a prince in Bengal, in eastern India. He became the most learned scholar at Nalanda Monastery in India, which was the greatest university of Buddhist philosophy of all time.
Out of great compassion for the Tibetan people Lama Atisha travelled to Tibet in 1042 CE to revitalise Buddhism there by passing on an unbroken lineage of the Buddha's teachings to the Tibetan people.
While he was in Tibet, Lama Atisha wrote the renowned Buddhist text, "Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment". This text is important because it made available for the first time all of Lord Buddha's teachings as an integrated and systematised path of practice.
Relic and Source
- The 1,000 year-old metal stupa contains Lama Atisha's relics. It was given to Lama Atisha's heart disciple, the great Dharma translator, Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo, who translated the Buddhist teachings from Sanskrit into the written Tibetan language.
- “The white relics were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche. He received these relics from the Sakya reliquary in Tibet.
Milarepa
Milarepa was born in 1052 CE and named Thopaga, which means "delightful to hear". His wealthy father died when Milarepa was very young and his uncle stole the family's inheritance. At his mother's request, Milarepa learned the black arts, killing many people associated with his uncle. Later, Milarepa repented and sought a spiritual teacher. He found Marpa the Translator who treated him very harshly.
For a long time Marpa refused to give any teachings to Milarepa, giving him instead a series of increasingly arduous and frustrating tasks as a means of purifying Milarepa from the effects of having brought so much harm to others. For instance, he ordered Milarepa to build a house by hand and when it was completed, ordered him to tear it back down so that he could move it a short distance and build it all over again. Milarepa built and demolished a number of houses in this way.
Marpa then gave Milarepa many teachings and initiations. Milarepa practiced for many years with great energy while living alone in a cave and eating only nettles. Under Marpa's guidance he reached enlightenment in spite of the great harm he had created early in his life.
Milarepa is famous for the many songs he composed to explain his spiritual realisations.
"Meditate in the unborn nature of the mind:
Like space, no centre, no limit;
Like the sun and moon, bright and clear;
Like a mountain, unmoving, unshakeable;
Like the ocean, deep, unfathomable."
- Milarepa
Relic and Source
- These relics were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen Yuen.
Geshe Chekhawa
Geshe Chekhawa was born in Tibet in 1220 CE. Through his meditations Geshe Chekawa developed the realisation of bodhicitta (the empowering attitude that motivates a practitioner to achieve enlightenment solely for the benefit of others).
By the time of his death (aged 75) he felt comfortable with all kinds of people, having no strong preferences or dislikes towards them. He was completely renounced from worldly pleasures, did not seek reputation or wealth and did not like receiving compliments or being revered by others.
Relic and Source
- This tiny relic from Geshe Chekhawa came from a family living in Lhasa, Tibet who salvaged the relic from a stupa that was destroyed during the invasion of Tibet by Communist China.
Lama Tsongkhapa
Lama Tsongkhapa (1357 to 1419 CE) was born in the Tsong Kha region of Amdo Province in eastern Tibet. He was famous for his dedication to vigorous practice. He completed 3,500,000 full-length prostrations, leaving an impression of his body on the floor of the temple. He had visions of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of enlightened wisdom.
Lama Tsongkhapa is the founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He wrote many learned treatises and commentaries on the classic texts such as the lam rim (the stages on the path).
At the age of 62, very early in the morning while sitting in full lotus posture, Lama Tsongkhapa's breathing stopped. Many disciples present witnessed light rays emanating from his body, leading them to believe that he had entered the bardo (the stage between death and rebirth) as an enlightened being.
He taught:
"If you knew how hard it is to acquire,
Living the average life would be impossible.
If you saw its great benefits,
You would be sorry if it stayed meaningless.
If you thought about death,
You would make preparations for your future lives.
If you thought about cause and effect,
You would stop being reckless."
Relic and Source
- While he was still alive, Lama Tsongkhapa offered his tooth to one of his heart disciples, Khedrup Je. The other disciples also wanted the tooth, so Je Tsongkhapa placed the tooth on the altar, made offerings and prayers and the tooth is reported to have multiplied into nine relics, which he distributed among his followers.The tooth relic exhibited here is one of the nine relics that manifested from that original tooth. The relic was offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Lhasa, Tibet, in 1987 by Wesar Rinpoche from Sera Me Monastery in South India.
Gyalwa Ensapa
Gyalwa Ensapa was a great Kadampa master (1505 - 1566 CE) born in Ensa, at Hlaku near the Tsang River in Tibet. He felt nothing but revulsion towards every situation he saw in the world, while also feeling overwhelming compassion for every being. He met each one with the thought, "How can I rescue this poor being from the prison of uncontrolled rebirth in cyclic existence?"
Gyalwa Ensapa went to Pema Chan to practice samadhi (concentration). He practiced in deserted foothills and isolated ravines and did not worry about how long it would take nor about the tremendous effort that would be required. Before he was 21 years old he achieved the ability to remain in samadhi day and night. As a result, whenever he did any activity he experienced a unique bliss.
Relic and Source
- These relics were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen Yuen.
His Holiness the First Karmapa
The spiritual leader of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is His Holiness the Karmapa, who is considered to be the embodiment of all the blessings of the lineage. Each successive Karmapa leaves a letter predicting the precise details and circumstances of his next rebirth.
The Kagyu lineage traces its roots from Shakyamuni Buddha to Tilopa, Naropa, and Marpa the Translator to the renowned Milarepa. Milarepa's student, Gampopa, transmitted the teachings to the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa.
The first Karmapa died when he was 84. His heart was found intact in the funeral pyre and some of his remaining bones had manifested into images of the Buddhas. The Seventeenth Karmapa currently lives in exile in the mountains of Dharmasala, India.
Relic and Source
- Both sets of relics are from the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa and were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen Yuen.
Pabongka Rinpoche